Kitchen Table Therapy
by Hokai Amplifier
Summary: Hinata was willing to die for Konoha, but was she willing to give birth for it? SasuHina
1. Sasuke's Choice

AU: Wow, I can't believe this account still works! I'm not sure if there are still people who read Naruto fanfiction, but to those who stumble upon this fic, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Sasuke bristled under the Hokage's appraising gaze. He had only come in to hand over the report for his latest mission, but Tsunade stopped him just as he was about to leave.<p>

"Something on my face?" He inquired brusquely.

He was surprised when the Hokage answered his question with another. "How old are you, Sasuke?"

_What is this about now?_ "Twenty-three, Hokage-sama."

"Ah. Twenty-three." Tsunade rolled the syllables on her tongue, savored the words. He didn't like where this was going - he knew the Hokage was sneaky. Sneaky! "Twenty-three. A good marrying age for a shinobi, don't you think?"

Sasuke went numb all over. He couldn't feel his heart pumping nor his brain working. He managed to grunt, "Hn."

Tsunade took this as assent and continued. "Surely you already must have thoughts of marriage, Sasuke? After all, isn't continuing your bloodline important to you?"

Sasuke will not, _will not_ tell her that it had been occupying his mind lately. "It doesn't matter to me," he lied.

She leaned back on her seat, serene. "So you deny saying at 7.42pm at Ichiraku Ramen last Tuesday, and I quote, 'Dobe, if it's your fault that I won't be able to produce any heirs, I will pull out all your toenails one by one and make you eat them.' This is in reponse to Naruto saying, and I quote again, 'Teme, I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine.' Nice touch with the toenails, by the way," she added approvingly. "You don't mind if I use that, do you?"

"I deny it," he replied flatly.

"You can't get away from seventeen witnesses, Sasuke. Soooo," she pulled out her top drawer and pushed a list of names towards him. Tsunade smiled widely. "These are all the eligible women in Konoha, including yours truly." She winked at him. "Pick a girl. Any girl."

_Old baka!_ Trying to arrange a marriage for him! Uchiha Sasuke, of all people! He fumed. He could get any girl he wanted, if he chose. He wanted to get married and have children someday, but he didn't need Tsunade's help. Most of all, he wanted to do it how he wanted it, when he wanted it. The interfering old hag had no say in his private life at all. He pushed the paper back towards her."I refuse, Hokage-sama. Good day." He bowed stiffly and turned to leave.

"Well then, Sasuke, how does a teaching position at the Academy sound?" Tsunade asked cheerfully. "Our school could always use new instructors, especially for the five-year-old class."

"Give me that," he snapped, quickly snatching up the list. He had no doubt that Tsunade would follow through with her threat.

Tsunade smirked. "I'm glad we see eye-to-eye about this."

He ignored her, haphazardly scanning the names on the list. He was unable to concentrate, barely registering the names and his impressions before moving to the next one. Inuzuka Hana. _Too loud and too many dogs. _Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, _NOT going to go there_. Mitarashi Anko. _Too bossy and too loud_. TenTen? _Maybe_. He didn't know a lot about her, and wasn't she going out with Hyuuga Neji anyway? He wasn't suicidal enough to mess that up. Tsunade... He passed that name with a shudder. Hyuuga Hanabi, _don't know her,_ Hyuuga Hinata, _don't know her either - wait. _Hyuuga Hinata. _Maybe_. He knew her best from her chuunin exam when her cousin tried to kill her and had to be held back by four jounin. Since the end of the war, they had had exactly one mission together, and he remembered he hadn't been irritated by her. Her bloodline limit was an added bonus.

Should he?

Could he?

He saw himself standing helpless in front of screaming five-year-olds tugging on his legs and most likely jabbing at each other in the ribs with practice kunai. He shuddered - it was not a pretty picture. But what about Hyuuga Hinata? He felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of her being trapped in a loveless marriage. But the screaming rose again in his ears, and this time he wasn't sure if it was the five-year-olds or if it was himself, discovering a house full of dead bodies.

He should.

He could try.

_I'm sorry, Hyuuga Hinata,_ he thought with an inward wince. He may be a bastard, but Tsunade was even more of a bastard.

He all but shoved the paper in her face, with his finger indicating the Hyuuga heiress's name.

"Hmm. Great choice, Sasuke," Tsunade complimented brightly. "And not entirely unexpected."

Sasuke shoved his hand in his pockets. "She will refuse."

The Hokage looked up at him with twinkling eyes. "If she refuses, then you should go ahead and prepare your lesson plan." Evil baka! "Shizune!" Tsunade shouted.

The Hokage's black-haired assistant entered the office, her eyes lively with interest as she contemplated the two.

"Shizune, bring Hinata to me," Tsunade commanded. Sasuke rolled his eyes as she tried to suppress her smile.

Shizune's face broke into a wide smile as she heard this. She nodded quickly, still beaming, as she left.

"Now, let's get this out of the way," Tsunade came around and sat on her desk. She held out the marriage contract and a kunai. There were two dotted lines at the bottom, for blood signatures. He glared at her. _Tsunade already had this in her drawer?! Had she been planning this? _How many copies of marriage contracts were there in her desk?He was impressed that she was prepared and thoroughly spooked at the same time. _Should I expect a spate of arranged marriages before long?_

She leaned towards him, and without warning, let out an ear-splitting yell directly in his left ear.

He stepped back in surprise. "What the fuck was that for?" He asked angrily. His ear was still ringing.

"Oh, that? I was just giving you a taste of what you're in for at the Academy." She winked at him.

"How many more of us are you going to force to marry?" He asked accusingly.

Tsunade's raised her eyebrows. "Sasuke-chan! You wound me." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm giving YOU a chance, aren't I?"

Sasuke, with a horrible feeling that he was being manipulated, took the kunai and cut his thumb. He pressed his thumb above the left dotted line. _There's no going back._ The action made him feel like he had deliberately walked to his doom.

"Sit down, Sasuke," she offered pleasantly, rolling up the contract and putting it up her sleeve. He scowled at her and sat, crossing his arms. He made no attempt to talk, and neither did Tsunade. Could he steal the scroll from her? He shook his head. Too risky, and not worth the trouble. Tsunade did not become Hokage for nothing, and he had no wish to be labeled a criminal again.

_Where the hell is Hyuuga Hinata? Let's get this over with. Shizune can't track someone for shit. They should've gotten Inuzuka or Aburame to do the job._ The seconds ticked by, slow and agonizing. He was torn whether or not he wanted the Hyuuga to accept or refuse. Should he have a wife and a sham marriage, or a job that would send him to the madhouse? Neither option was in his favor. Maybe he could treat the teaching job as training, training for when he would become a father.

_A father..._ He mused. He would be a father if Hinata accepted and they both did their job. Would their child have Sharingan, Byakugan, or both? What if it was a mutation, or the child had different eyes altogether? What would he be like as a father? Sasuke thought about his own father. A stern man. A man with high standards. Near the end, he had been granted his father's attention. He remembered walking around, feeling like he could burst from the happiness. Where was that child? _Gone,_ he answered himself. _And he's never coming back._

Just then, the door opened and Shizune ushered in Hyuuga Hinata, who looked tense.

"WHAT THE HELL TOOK SO LONG?" Tsunade yelled and slammed her hands on the desk, standing up.

Sasuke smirked inwardly. So Tsunade had been feeling the pressure. He saw Hinata cringe, but stepped forward and bowed.

"I apologize, Hokage-sama," she said, but did not offer any explanation.

"It's only been five minutes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune replied dryly.

"Very well, Shizune, you may leave." The Hokage turned to Hinata and smiled. "Ah, Hinata! Very good. You're just the person I wanted to see. I'd like to speak to you about a very important matter, one integral to the village's continuing success. Want some sake?"

_Bipolar old hag._ Sasuke rolled his eyes. _One minute she's yelling, and the next, she's buttering up Hinata. _Hinata looked over at him briefly, alarm in her pale eyes, and turned back to the Hokage. "I would have to decline the sake, Hokage-sama. To what do I owe the... pleasure?"

Tsunade sat back on the edge of her desk, folded her hands in her lap. "Hinata," she began in a grave voice, "we have suffered great losses after the war. Now that we have achieved a tenuous peace, I feel justified to say that our focus should be on rebuilding the village. Don't you agree?"

Hinata nodded. Sasuke noted that she had clutched the hem of her jacket tighter.

"Now, I have great faith in the young people of Konoha. All of you have proved to be worthy shinobi, and I'm sure that when the next Hokage takes up office, he will find himself surrounded by excellent nin. However, there is always the one duty that most shinobi overlook. Do you know what that is?"

Hinata shook her head.

The Hokage looked over at him. "How about you, Sasuke? Any ideas?" She tried to suppress a grin. "Surely you must have some ideas. It might have even... _crossed your mind."_

He was not going to play her game. "No idea."

She clicked her tongue. "Sometimes, you kids have extraordinarily thick skulls. I said kids, but you're actually adults now, hmm? You're capable of anything. And if we want the village to move forward, we must necessarily turn to you."

Sasuke tensed. Long did it take for the Hokage to make her point, they were getting into it now.

"We need you to help repopulate the village."


	2. Lovebirds

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Hinata gaped. Repopulating the village? Then that meant... She glaced at Sasuke again, as the last link clicked into place. She had an ominous feeling when the Godaime started talking, and now this was the confirmation.<p>

"But... But..." She sputtered, and looked again at Sasuke. He was leaning on the wall, his expression unreadable. He would be no help. "Hokage-sama... I must apologize if... If... This... You might construe this as me speaking out of turn, but.. I would have to disagree. I would have to decline this."

"Oh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Hinata looked helplessly at the older woman. How could she explain that she liked the life she was living right now? That she relished the freedom of living away from the Hyuuga compound, that she wanted to test the limits of her strength, that she resented this impingement on her freedom? She had been locked away for so long by her low self-esteem and her shyness and she was now feeling and enjoying her newfound power and confidence. She liked herself. She liked free Hinata. She did not want to be married Hinata, mommy Hinata - that will come, but not just yet.

She tried to wipe her sweaty palms on her pants discreetly. "I-I am not ready, Hokage-sama. I am not yet prepared to raise a child, and... And... In these conditions, it will not grow... Not thrive..." _Why am I thinking of my garden now, of all moments! _"I mean, the child will, um, it won't be cared for as much."

Tsunade looked serious. "If you are not ready now, then when? A shinobi's life is uncertain, Hinata. Remember that. If you do not take this chance, you may not be able to leave your legacy to your clan and to Konoha. We need all the help we can get."

Hinata turned red at this. How could she decline this request, if it was for the good of the village? She was willing to die for the village, but was she willing to give birth for it? Was she being too selfish? Tsunade made very logical points, but... _Where are the feelings? _She felt like crying out. Have they not considered hers and Sasuke's feelings? They were indifferent to each other. How could they raise a baby, let alone make it? _Making a baby..._ She turned even redder. "But..."

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all." Sasuke said from behind her.

_Thank you, Uchiha-san!_

The Hokage ignored him. "Come, Hinata. Your village needs you." She put forward a sheet of paper with two dotted lines at the bottom, and a kunai. One of the lines already had a bloody thumbprint.

Hinata whipped around at him. "Uchiha-san, you already..." She turned back to Tsunade and the contract with wide eyes. Uchiha Sasuke agreed to this? Even before she did? _Was he sick?_ She walked over to the taller shinobi and put her hand on his forehead. She had to know. He started at her touch. "You're not sick," she said, almost an accusation.

Her thoughts were in a whirl. _Is this my future? Am I inevitably going to be shipped off to a marriage, because I am a Hyuuga? I thought moving out would give me the power to choose my own partner, but it seems like it actually is futile... If it isn't council, it would the Hokage. Maybe it's time to bow to a higher power. _

She looked up again at Tsunade who was patiently waiting for her. "Take the kunai," the Hokage said, almost kindly. If Uchiha Sasuke was willing to do it, why not her?

She took it with trembling fingers, and made an incision on her thumb. She pressed on the wound to make it bleed. She held out her thumb and looked away, not wanting to look at herself signing away her fate. To her surprise, Sasuke stepped beside her and she felt him press her thumb over the contract. It was done. And in under half an hour.

_Fifteen minutes ago, I had no idea was going to be married. And now I am._

Tsunade squealed and threw up her hands. "My two best ninjas! I'm so... I'm sorry, this is such a proud moment for me." She wiped away imaginary tears from her face.

Hinata was in a daze and did not register much of the Hokage's gleeful speech, until she was recalled to the present by the Hokage putting her arms around their shoulders.

"You're going to make me so proud. You can make preparations for the ceremony later - I can even be your godmother! Wouldn't that be great, ne, Hinata-chan, Sasuke-chan?"

"Get off me," she heard Sasuke mutter.

Ceremony... Godmother... _This is it? I'm already married_? Hinata thought. Somehow she had imagined it would be more romantic and grandiose, with doves flying into the sky, people clapping, sake corks being popped... _I'm married_, Hinata thought again. She thought she would feel happy, but at the moment she just felt disoriented.

Tsunade was steering them out of her office, chortling about being 'Godmother Tsunade.' They were nearing the door.

_Once I step out of that door, I'm going to be Uchiha Hinata_, she thought in a panic. She dug her heels in, and Tsunade stopped. "I... I..." _I'd like some of that sake now, please, _she wanted to say out loud, but it would mean spending more time in Tsunade's office and that was equally unbearable, too. "No, I'm sorry, we're going," she said breathlessly, wincing at her behavior. She must have seemed strange to Tsunade and Sasuke.

"All right then, have fun, you lovebirds!" Tsunade sang out. With a final push, they were out in the late afternoon sunlight.

_Lovebirds_, Hinata thought, outraged. _She has no right to call us that. _She looked away and exhaled sharply. She suddenly remembered Sasuke was beside her, and hastily gave a bow. "I apologize for my frustration, Uchiha-san." She straightened up and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry we're in this predicament."

He held her gaze for a few moments, then his eyes roved her face, as if memorizing her features. She felt her cheeks turn hot at his scrutiny. Finally, to her relief, he nodded. "Now that we're married, I don't see anymore the point of honorifics, Hinata."

"I understand, Sasuke." _It feels so intimate,_ she thought, slightly shocked at the feel of his name without the suffix. _I'm married. No_, she corrected herself, _we're married._ "Ano..." She bowed again. "I really am sorry."

"I don't see the point of bowing, either," he gave her a one-sided smirk.

She took a deep breath and mastered herself. Sasuke was not helping the situation. It was up to her to make the logistical arrangements. "I understand, Sasuke." She jerked her head to keep herself from bowing again. "I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry, and... um, I'll do my best not to, um, get in your way, I can assure you that. Now that we're... married," - _weird! _- "I suppose, um, I'll be moving into your compound since my apartment is too small. So I... I'd better get going, then, ne? I'll probably see you in the morning. Good night." She nodded at him, and because she desperately wanted to have a moment alone, turned on her heel and fled.

_Good night? What were you thinking, Hinata?_

_Can you blame me?_


	3. Tomato Soup

A/N: Hello! Thank you very much to **Kitty Uzumaki, TiredSymphony, Neon Renaissance, Eerie Ava, 00-night-eyes-00, Lila-me, **and **supremekikay24 **for your reviews! :D I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Sasuke woke up at seven as usual. After Hinata bade him good night - he couldn't help but smirk at the memory - he had tailed her, planning to at least help her in her packing. Instead, she headed straight for the graveyard to the Hyuuga mausoleum. It was the one place where he didn't want to hang around, so he left. He was surprised to discover, though, that he actually craved company and distraction. For once he was relieved to accept Naruto's dinner invitation. After dinner, he went straight to his bedroom and spent most of the night straining to listen for any kind of sound, any clue that Hinata was in his home. He had heard nothing but silence. Around dawn, he slept.<p>

_She did say she was going to get out of my way, _Sasuke reminded himself, wrongfully paraphrasing her words from the day before.

He went straight to the kitchen and found it empty. He let out the air he hadn't even realized he was holding in.

The first, and so far only, indication that his life had changed was the covered dish in the middle of the table which was revealed to be a large bowl of tomato soup with bread. That would make sense, since the only contents of his pantry were mostly tomatoes and instant noodles.

Sasuke frowned. So this was what she meant by getting out of his way? She probably was one of those people who get up at the crack of dawn, like Maito Gai and Rock Lee, and by now would probably already be out of the house. Or, she did not want to see him.

He felt irritated. He was like a bully who challenged someone to a fight only to have that person walk away, or like someone who expected a disaster but was instead rewarded with clear skies.

Hinata was not home, and that was a fact he could do nothing about. _Che, I don't care,_ he thought, spooning some soup into his mouth. _If she wants to show up for breakfast, it's not my problem._ He ate his soup in an absentminded manner and suddenly found himself wishing for a distraction.

Naruto, always useful in that department, chose that moment to hammer at Sasuke's door.

"OI TEME OPEN UP!" He shouted.

Sasuke went over to the front door, making sure his footsteps would be heard. He didn't open it, but instead waited for Naruto to get riled up. The hammering started again.

"BAKA I KNOW YOU'RE INSIDE! HEY OPEN UP!"

Sasuke smirked.

"FINE I'LL JUST SHOUT THROUGH THE DOOR! SO IS IT TRUE THAT YOU AND HINATA-CHAN ARE ALREADY MARRIED?"

Sasuke opened the door and swiftly pulled Naruto in by the collar of his shirt. "Once a bigmouth dobe, always a bigmouth dobe," he hissed.

"So it's true?" Naruto gaped at him. "Hinata-chan?" He shoved Sasuke's arm. "Get out! She's too nice for a teme like you!" He started laughing, clutching his side. "Sasuke-teme, married!"

Sasuke shoved him back. "A teme like me is still a hundred times better than a dobe like you." He sat back down and resumed his soup. Naruto tried to spoon some, but Sasuke swatted his hand away. "Hands off my food, dobe."

Naruto pouted. "You're so mean, Sasuke-teme. Don't tell me you're like that to Hinata-chan!"

In response, Sasuke tipped the bowl to his throat, drinking the remainder in one gulp. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Shut up, dobe. I haven't even seen her yet."

"Oh, really?" Naruto leaned forward with a malicious gleam in his eyes. "Not since the... wedding night?"

There was an urgent knocking on the door. "Sasuke-kun, open up!" Sakura's voice came through the paper screen. _Great_, he thought, _more ways to ruin the day._

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto got up to open the door for her, and in the next moment, the old Team 7 was established on Sasuke's dining room table.

"Sasuke-kun, you're already married? And you didn't tell us?" Sakura demanded.

"Hey, yeah! I was just having dinner with you last night!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "How come you didn't tell me, teme?"

"So how long has it been going on with you and Hinata?" Sakura continued in the same demanding tone, raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke let them ply their questions while he brushed his teeth over the sink. When he was finished, he marched past them, put on his sandals, and went out. He was in no mood to deal with their questions and, on Sakura's part, insinuations that he and Hinata had been in a longstanding secret relationship. Not to be deterred, they followed him out, tugging on his arms. They knew eventually he would answer out of annoyance. This time, though, he had no intention of giving them the satisfaction.

He led them straight to their old training grounds, and fell into his stance. "Let's train."

And so they trained for the better part of the day, including Sakura who had her day off from the hospital. They stopped when it was getting dark.

Sasuke went to the nearby stream and washed his face with the cool water. He tried to even his shallow, ragged breaths. It had been a good training session. Sakura was more aggressive than usual, and for once, seemed to concentrate all her attacks on him instead of teaming up with him to take down Naruto.

He heard footsteps, and Sakura settled down beside him. "Sasuke-kun, I have something to say."

He grunted in response.

"I-I hope you will have a happy marriage. But if-but if... Things, you know, go wrong, and they might - you never know, not that I'm hoping it, not exactly - I -"

"Let's go have dinner, you guys!" Naruto shouted from behind.

"Uh, sounds great!" Sakura scrambled up and ran towards Naruto without finishing her sentence.

Sasuke shrugged off her incoherent words. He'd had enough of wishes for a happy marriage from the other jounin. Most of his old classmates at the Academy had dropped by while they were taking a break from training and congratulated him. The most annoying by far was Inuzuka Kiba, who had threatened to beat him up while the giant dog growled at him. Inuzuka had emphasized his words with hard pokes to the chest and Sasuke had been forced to grab his finger and threaten him back. Given how close the former Team 8 members were, he had no doubt Inuzuka would report back to Hinata. Well, let him. And if she had anything to say, Sasuke didn't care.

"I'm going home," Sasuke said, walking up to his former teammates. "Don't come to my house again." He jumped off into the treetops and disappeared from their sight, Naruto's yells becoming blessedly fainter and fainter.

It was exactly seven when he arrived at his doorstep. Through the screen, he could see the lights were on. His chest tightened and he found himself thinking what Hinata's reasons would be for her absence this morning. Was he going to forgive her or not?

She _had_ said she was going to get out of his way. _Never asked for it in the first place._

He slid the door open and was greeted with silence. He went straight to the kitchen, and another covered dish was again the only sign that he was not living alone. The dish was revealed to be rice and fried fish. A quick search of his cupboards proved his surmise correct that Hinata had done some grocery shopping while he was out.

Since there was only one plate and one set of chopsticks set on the table, he assumed she had already ate. When he was finished, he washed the dishes and went upstairs to his bedroom, turning off the lights.


	4. Oyakodon

A/N: Here's longer chapter for you guys. We've gotten off to a rather slow start, but I hope you like this one better. Thank you very much to **kisskissfallinlove92, Breezy2319, wolf-enzeru, Little lily, 00-night-eyes-00, Robotchick1 **(Thank you, I do my best!)**, **and **Rosebunse!**

Ai miei lettori italiani, mandatemi un messaggio! Vorrei praticare il mio italiano con voi... Possiamo parlare dell'anime! :)

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>"Hinata-chan, you really didn't need to stay here while Kumiko is asleep." Yuuhi Kurenai sat perched on the windowsill of her apartment, watching Hinata scrubbing furiously on one leg of her center table.<p>

"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata straightened up from her cleaning and bowed low. "Welcome home." The moonlight backlit her charcoal hair, and not for the first time, Hinata marveled at how beautiful her sensei was.

Kurenai entered her apartment through the window. "It's good to be back home, but it also felt good to be out on missions again." She looked around. "And you certainly didn't need to clean up! But thank you, Hinata-chan, I appreciate it."

"It was no trouble at all, sensei. I didn't have anything else to do, anyway."

Her former sensei looked at her sharply. "Nothing else to do? And how are things going with Sasuke?"

Hinata blushed. "I... Well... We haven't seen each other for a week." She looked away from her sensei's penetrating gaze. She heard Kurenai sigh and flop down on the sofa.

"Sit," Kurenai said, and she did. "Now, Hinata-chan, I distinctly remember three days ago that you promised you would take the time to know him while I was away on my mission."

Her blush deepened. Hinata knew that it would be useless to use Kumiko as an excuse since Kurenai only needed her to check in once in a while to see if the apartment was still standing. At seven years old, Kumiko was already self-sufficient enough to prepare her own meals and put herself to sleep while her mother fulfilled her duties as jounin. "I didn't do it," she mumbled. "Besides, I already told him that I wouldn't get in his way."

"So you're still following your routine as though you're still unmarried," Kurenai concluded.

"Yes," Hinata said with a trace of defiance. Her white eyes met her sensei's red ones. "Kurenai-sensei, I don't want this." Her lower lip trembled. "You know I don't want this." She willed herself not to cry. "I'm sure he doesn't either. He didn't decline when I told him I wouldn't be in his way. I didn't leave the Hyuuga compound only to be forced back into another one."

Kurenai put an arm around her. "Hinata-chan, whether you wanted it or not, and whether it's fair or unfair, you're already in this marriage. I know you're unwilling to let go of your lifestyle because you worked very hard to become who you are right now, and it wasn't easy. I'm proud of you, Hinata-chan. You're strong, and I know you have it in you to make the best of a good situation. But right now, what your marriage needs is an honest effort." She patted Hinata's arm. "And if Sasuke makes it difficult for you, you can always kick his ass. It'll be good training."

Hinata, who had been silently weeping, laughed at the last part. She wiped her hands on her sleeve and stood up. "You're right, Kurenai-sensei. And it's not like me to give up already. Thank you for your words." She took her leave and returned to her room in the Uchiha compound.

She had taken up residence in one of the rooms in the unused wing of the compound. She would time her returns to the compound in the middle of the day while Sasuke was still out training so as to clean her room and the whole wing, and then cook dinner. She would then leave for Kurenai's apartment and welcome Kumiko home from school.

She felt guilty when she recalled the question Shino had asked during training. "You're not hiding from Sasuke, are you?" She had been taken aback at the question that her guard had slipped and his kikaichu were able to get ahold of her.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke,_ she thought, tucking the covers under her chin. _I'll do better from now on._

Hinata rose at five in the morning as she usually did and was showered and dressed in ten minutes. On her way to the kitchen, she considered writing Sasuke a note with his breakfast. What would she write, though? Something casual, maybe. Not too heavy. Not too apologetic either.

She turned on the light, and suddenly - "_aah!"_ There was no need for any casual, non-apologetic note because Sasuke was there, in the flesh, sleeping with his head on the kitchen table.

He raised his head at the sound, suddenly alert. "What time is it?"

Her heart was beating fast. She felt like she had been ambushed, but that was absurd, because this was Sasuke's house and he had a right to sleep anywhere he wanted. She tried to calm herself down. _Nothing's happened yet, Hinata. He won't attack you._ "F-five-fifteen, Sasuke." She went further in and started taking out a chopping board and onions and garlic, beginning her preparations for breakfast. She hoped the ritual actions would soothe her, as well as having her back to him. "Why... Why are you sleeping here?" She chanced to look at him.

"I haven't seen my wife for a week," he said, looking straight at her.

Last night's guilt came back, doubled, which caused her to flush. "A-ano... About that, I-I... I'm..."

"What's for breakfast?" He cut in, like she wasn't reduced to a stammering, nervous wreck.

"O-oyakodon," she answered, trying to match his nonchalance. She looked up to see him suddenly standing beside her, leaning against the counter. "I'm sorry if the meals I -"

"You haven't done anything yet, so stop apologizing," he said, irritation lacing his voice.

Hinata could feel the familiar feeling of a hand gripping her throat, as was the case during her childhood, when her stuttering was more pronounced. She deliberately slowed chopping the onions, and timed her breath with each slow stroke. Her nervousness dissipated somewhat. "I just wanted to say that, well, you should tell me if... If there is any of my cooking that you, um, don't like. I don't have the experience - ah, I mean, I have rarely cooked for anyone else - just my team, you know Shino-kun and Kiba-kun - and I don't know... I am, uh, not familiar with your-with your palate."

"Hn," was all he said.

He didn't show annoyance, which she took for a good sign. _An honest effort_. She plowed on, "Like me... I, well... I like things a little bit sweet, so I might add, put in, more, um, brown sugar than you'd like, especially for the sauces." She was gaining confidence from familiar conversational topics. "Shino-kun likes light - light meat, light... meals, like, uh, vegetables and fish and chicken. Kiba-kun, though, he likes those... uh, big juicy grilled steaks. Sometimes he gives Akamaru - Kiba-kun's, um, friend, some after missions. So when they used to come over... I had... I had, um, a heck of a time deciding what to cook." She was rolling chicken in panko now, and heating the saucepan in preparation for frying.

"So what do you cook for them?" He asked, and she could have collapsed from the relief that this was turning out to be a normal conversation.

The chicken made a healthy sizzle upon contact with the oil, and she leaned back to avoid the spitting. "Well," she turned to him with a smile, "I'd cook whatever I want."

She was rewarded with a twitch of the lips that could have been a smile. "Anything else to do here?"

"Oh, the rice!" She exclaimed. "If it's a-all right with you, make some rice for us, please."

"You want me to cook the rice," he repeated. She turned in time to see him look around the kitchen with almost a bewildered air.

She stifled a laugh and said, "Sasuke, the rice is in the lower cupboard here," she indicated with a foot.

The next surprise came when he held out the whole twenty-kilogram sack of rice to her. "I don't know how."

"You can put the whole sack back in," she said, smiling. "We only need two cups." She handed him a cup and a pot. He followed her instructions quickly and meticulously, and after a few moments, they were standing in companionable silence, waiting for the rice to boil. When it was done, she filled two bowls with rice and topped them with chicken and eggs. She poured tea in two small mugs. Sasuke wordlessly took the hot bowls from her and placed them on the table, and she smiled at him in gratitude. He went back to wash two tomatoes from the cupboard.

To her surprise, he bit on one raw. Noticing her stare, he held out the unbitten one to her, but she could only shake her head. _So that's why he has so many tomatoes, _she thought, nodding thoughtfully to herself as realization dawned.

They were silent except for the clink of chopsticks. In the name of making an honest effort, she cast her mind about for a suitable topic of conversation. Nothing came to mind, however, so she kept on eating.

"I'm going to see if there are any missions available today," he was the first to break the silence. Her head shot up. Now that they were both jounin, they would be assigned A-class or B-class missions, which could take anywhere from a minimum of three days to a week, or maybe even a month.

_What is a wife supposed to say?_ Come back, honey? I love you? It didn't feel right to her, saying these things, so she simply nodded.


	5. Talking smack

A/N: Thank you very much to **alee26606, , tastetherainbow17, DageRee **(your concerns will be slightly addressed in later chapters. Thanks for the feedback! :D)**, roti bakar, wolf-enzeru, 00-night-eyes-00, accentcore8 **(wow, thank you very much! :D)**, Rosebunse, **and **Little lily **for your reviews! They motivate me to keep writing so, thank you again!

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Eight days later, Sasuke stumbled in at one in the morning, exhausted. He lurched about in the dark living room until his shin connected with a sofa. He fell forward onto its soft warmth and immediately slept.<p>

At seven as usual, he woke up and immediately noticed the blanket covering him. _That wasn't there last night, was it? _He stretched his limbs before setting his feet on the floor. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that his last meal had been breakfast the previous day. He had relentlessly pressed his team onwards to be able to reach Konoha as soon as possible. If anyone asked, he would never ever say that he had missed Hinata's home cooking, that having food waiting for him on the kitchen table had made him feel... _something_. In his mind, Hinata and food had been inextricably linked.

On the way to Konoha, jumping from tree to tree, his mind had kept replaying that one moment in the kitchen. _"I'd cook whatever I want," _she had said, smiling. There had been a mischievous glint in her eyes as she recalled her memories with her teammates.

He went to the kitchen to find a covered dish waiting for him, as expected, but no Hinata. His welcome home meal was grilled beef and a salad of onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. Most importantly, there was a small round cake covered with red frosting and had leaf-like designs in green frosting on the upper portion. Viewed from above, it looked like... A tomato.

He smiled to himself.

Having finished the meat and vegetables, Sasuke was about to start on dessert when there came a knock on his door. He sighed in annoyance, and stayed in his seat, willing the person on the other side to give up. No such luck. Three knocks, more impatient this time. He walked over slowly, hoping that the caller would give up in the interval. however, three raps came again.

He opened the door to reveal Hyuuga Neji. Sasuke's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. The last time he had encountered Hinata's cousin was when Neji accosted him on the street and quietly threatened to murder him upon learning of their marriage.

Deciding he was the bearer of bad news, he went on the offensive. "What do you want, Hyuuga?" He snapped.

Neji looked him from head to toe, unperturbed. "So, you're home at last. Is Hinata here?"

"She said she didn't want to be disturbed by you," he sneered. _Your cousin avoids me for one week and I get this from you?_ he inwardly groused.

"Don't be absurd, Uchiha. Tell Hinata we need an answer by tomorrow. This is your copy." He slapped a white envelope on Sasuke's chest, and left.

Sasuke slammed the door shut with more force than needed. He slowly extracted a sheet of paper from the envelope and resumed his place at the table. The paper was heavy, and written on with ornate script. It was an invitation to a celebration of Hyuuga Hiashi's birthday and their recent marriage. They were requested to be there the following Tuesday at seven in the evening. _Bad news is right._

"Che," he said to himself out loud, and started on the cake.

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><p>Hinata was waiting at the kitchen table when he came home from training. She stood up and almost bowed, but remembered herself and stopped at the last second. "Good evening, Sasuke," she said, looking grave. "I'd-I'd like to talk to you about something."<p>

He sat across her and put his feet up on the table. He didn't miss her frown at this, and he smirked. "So talk."

She took a deep breath and looked at him. "We have to go to Father's birthday party in two days. I know you won't like it, and I don't too, but -"

"Don't forget the celebration of our marriage," he cut in, before she could start blathering again. He took out the envelope and threw it on the table. It skidded to a stop before her.

"O-Oh, you already have this," she said with a kind of wonderment. She looked up at him, hesitant. "Neji-nii?"

He nodded, the memory of their earlier encounter twisting his features into a scowl.

"So... We're going. We're going," she repeated to herself with a sigh. She stood up to prepare dinner.

While she was chopping vegetables, he essayed a question at her back. He figured she would be less nervous and would talk more freely if she wasn't facing him. "So why don't you want to go?"

He could tell by the tenseness in her shoulders and the increased vigor of chopping that he struck a nerve somewhere. He thought she had forgotten his question until she finally said, "Just... A lot of bad memories."

"Hn," he said, acknowledging her answer, but momentarily at a loss to proceed. _Should I continue_? He was curious to know what went on within the Hyuuga compound, despite himself. Was her upbringing similar to his? He knew that there was a Main House and a Branch House, but what the relations were between the two he had no idea. _Fuck it, she can say no whenever she wants, can't she?_ "Like what?"

He tensed in anticipation of a cold brushoff or outright hostility, but Hinata, it seemed, was patently incapable of these things. "Well..." She began hesitantly. "I'm not sure if-if you, um, remember my chuunin exam... I was matched against-against Neji-nii. And... Well... He... He called me a-a weakling."

"I remember that," he said. _If I had known ten years ago that Hinata would be my future wife, would I have punched that Hyuuga? Probably. Gladly._ It was amazing that whatever the drama surrounding the two cousins hadn't interested him at the time. But for Hinata, it had been her life. Maybe the memory was still haunting her even now.

"Well... The thing was, my father, he... He thought the same way about me." She was chopping the onions fine now. Sasuke was ignorant in kitchen matters, but he was fairly sure it didn't take five minutes. "That was why I loved Naruto-kun so much -" _what, loved that dobe? Did she - did she just say __**love**__?_ "- back then." Her tone changed into something softer and surer.

Hinata had her back to him so she couldn't see his clenched fists and stormy face. He was totally unaware of this history between Naruto and Hinata. Were they lovers back then? _Had anything ever... happened between them?_ But she had said back then, so the logical assumption would be that she didn't hold those feelings now, did she? _She better not, _he thought grimly. He didn't say anything, but made a mental note to observe further.

"He was just so inspiring," she continued. He could hear the smile in her voice. _Your husband's right here_, he wanted to tell her. _Why are you still going on about that dobe?_ He was jolted out of his indignation by the sizzle of the frying pan. "So I didn't give up. I trained my... My-my butt off -" his eyes trailed to aforementioned body part, but it was covered by her jacket "-and I got better, especially when I was with Neji-nii and Father." She turned off the stove and surprised him by facing him. "After the war, the Council started hinting some... things. I tried not to listen to them, but..." Her hands twisted in her lap.

Sasuke wanted to ask, _but what about Naruto? Explain that to me! I don't care about your stupid council!_

She looked at him, her tone steady and her pace measured. "Well... They called me weak again, and that was fine with me. My father didn't say anything to defend me. That hurt, a little. Or maybe a lot. I told myself he couldn't do it anyway because he's part of the council... But, well, someone said something about my upbringing. I took that to mean something bad about Mother, and even then, Father still didn't say anything, so I lost my temper."

His gaze jerked back to her face. He couldn't imagine her ever losing her temper. She apologized too much, she was nervous around him, and she had a tendency to babble when uncomfortable - but getting angry? The Gentle Fist Technique required precision in its strikes, which in turn required an even disposition, something that Hinata carried into her daily life.

Hinata caught the astonishment on his face, because she smiled a little. "That only happens when someone talks... talks... talks smack about Mother."

"Talks smack?" He repeated, taken aback. _Is this Hinata talking?_

"Uh, talks bad. Talks _nasty_." She scrunched up her face at the last word, and dissolved into laughter.

He could feel his lips twitch, and in the next moment he was chuckling, albeit quietly, along with Hinata.

"I learned that from Kiba-kun," she explained in between breaths.

"Figures," he said, amused.


	6. The better sister

A/N: Thank you very much for reviewing, **Rosebunse, 00-night-eyes-00, wolf-enzeru **(Thanks for the feedback! Now that you mention it, I do see your point that the ending felt abrupt. I'll try to avoid that next time!)**, ****accentcore8, Kitty Uzumaki, Eerie Ava, PrettyQueen, unknown90s, gangsterkitty634, **and **DageRee! **All your reviews are love. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! This is one of my favorites.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>On the day of the party, Sasuke was in the middle of breakfast when there was a knock on the door. He frowned to himself and ignored the knocks. If being married meant getting more visitors for no reason, then he might have to ask the old hag for a divorce.<p>

The knocking came again and he continued to eat, pretending not to hear. It would be an added bonus if it was Hyuuga Neji outside. If anyone died of persistent knocking, he hoped to Kami it would be that murderous Hyuuga. He could picture himself discovering the body on the doorstep, and his face breaking out in a smile. And then Hinata would also discover the body but she would cry and he would have to look appropriately blank. Whoever was outside knocked again, and Sasuke sighed at his ruined fantasy. The unknown visitor was getting impatient now, but he didn't budge from his seat.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and he watched as a miniature version of Hinata stomped toward him. They had the same features, but this girl was shorter and thinner - bony, even. She wore her hair brushed back from her face and she had the same air of disapproval as did Hyuuga Neji.

"You were in here all the time and you didn't even open the door?" She demanded. This, then, was Hyuuga Hanabi.

He looked at her with displeasure. _I'm so relieved I chose the better sister_. "If no one's answering the door, it means you're not welcome," he told her coldly. _Where does this girl get off?_

"Of course I'm welcome," she replied, haughty. "Nee-chan invited me here."

"She's not here," he said, not really knowing whether that was true or not. "Now go away."

She glared at him and looked around the living room and the kitchen. He tensed. If she activated her bloodline limit, she would have a fight on her hands - it was absolute discourtesy to use any techniques in a shinobi's home. He supposed she knew this because she used the old-fashioned and time-honored way of looking for someone: she yelled. "NEE-CHAN! HINATA-NEE! I'M HERE!"

He spared a thought to briefly wonder why he never did the same to check whether or not she was at home. Then again, yelling had never been his style. Obviousness was Naruto's strong point, not his.

There was a sound of pounding feet and Hinata came flying out from the corridor of the opposite wing. Her hair was still dripping, and she was clad in a fuzzy bathrobe which she was still trying to tie around her waist. _So that's where she's staying. _

"H-Hanabi!" She sounded horrified. "You can't do that in other people's homes!" She gave Sasuke a look which telegraphed apology and consternation.

"But nee-chan, your husband was trying to trick me!" At her words, Hinata immediately turned scarlet. "He said you weren't here!"

Better to let her think he was tricking her. If it actually came out that he was ignorant of Hinata's whereabouts, that would be... embarrassing. Hanabi might even report it to their father. After her story two days ago, he wasn't really looking forward to meeting Hyuuga Hiashi.

Why would it be embarrassing, though? He returned to his earlier thought and tried to examine his logic. Neither of them was actually pretending that this was a love match. So why should he have to know where she was, and vice versa? Maybe someday they would fulfill the purpose of their marriage, but he couldn't see it happening in the near future. And attempting to make children would only make Tsunade happy, something which he was loath to do in any kind of timeline.

"That's still no excuse," Hinata said, reproving but gentle. She took hold of Hanabi's upper arm.

Hanabi only scowled. Hinata must have pinched her sister, because she yelped and wrenched her arm away. "Sorry about that, Sasuke-nii," she said, clearly not sorry.

Sasuke-nii? _Sasuke-nii..._ He savored the word, repeated it over and over. He had never been anyone's older brother before. He had been so used to being the otouto that Hanabi calling him nii brought him up short. The feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant, he decided.

"She also barged in here without permission." He smirked as he enjoyed the death glare she sent him.

Hinata's eyes widened at her sister. "Hanabi!" Her voice had returned to its horrified and scandalized tone.

"Yeah, but he-" another of those phantom pinches from Hinata made Hanabi jump. "Fine," she snapped, rubbing her arm furiously. "I'm sorry about barging in, and I promise I'll just knock for two hours or until I wither and die on your doorstep."

"You do that," he said, smirk more pronounced. He even gave a cheery little wave when Hanabi looked back and stuck her tongue out at him as she was being led away.

He sat back on his chair, putting his feet up on the table, basking in triumph. It was a sweet victory against Hinata's bratty little sister and unwanted visitors in general. _Let that be a lesson to all of the Hyuuga,_ he thought, pleased with himself. _Maybe I should get Hyuuga Neji to answer the door. There's a good idea._

He was recalled to the present by the sight of Hinata, now clad in her usual attire of jacket and pants, but her hair still retaining that drowned look.

She frowned at the position of his feet, and he wondered when she was going to call him out on it. "A-ano, Sasuke, sorry if I didn't tell you before, but-but Hanabi and I, we're going to get ready for the party here... I hope you don't mind."

He snorted. "Whatever, just keep her away from me."

Her lips twitched in what suspiciously looked like the beginnings of a smirk. Before either of them could say anything, there was another blasted knock on the door and Hinata hurried to answer it. _Dammit, can't a man talk to his wife in peace? Wait, did I just...?_ He had never seriously regarded Hinata as his wife before, even in his thoughts. He only ever referred to their relationship when he wanted to make her uncomfortable.

Spooked at himself, he stood up abruptly and brushed past the two women whom Hinata let in. He needed to train, and he most certainly needed to get away from his thoughts.


	7. The lions' den

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, **Doddlehead, oxogreenappleoxo, 00-night-eyes-00, roti bakar **(To tell the truth, I haven't even gotten to that part yet! But that's a great idea!)**, Rosebunse, Robotchick1, taity, Eerie Ava, DageRee, wolf-enzeru, Fher34 **(Aww, thank you!)**, holmesfreak1412 **(Please wake up! You'd have to be awake to read this chapter!)**, xXYour DoomXx, **and **kisskissfallinlove92! **Reviews are always awesome!

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Hinata stood by the kitchen table, concentrating on keeping her posture straight. She didn't want to create wrinkles on her mother's kimono. Her mother had worn it on Hinata's fifth birthday party, which was the last time she was alive for Hinata's birthday. It was white, with green grass embroidered at the hem, and birds in all shades of purple depicted in flight. She had especially requested the Hyuuga servants to look for it, figuring she would need her mother close by her to get through the night.<p>

She had sent Hanabi and two of her maids ahead with the spring rolls she had made for the party. Cooking two hundred spring rolls had taken the better part of the day, plus, it was hard to make Hanabi choose which kimono she liked best. Megumi and Kaoru, the two women, had to make two trips back to the compound to bring other styles. In the end, Hanabi had chosen a brown kimono with an orange obi, thankfully. Before the three of them left, Hinata had apologized profusely to Megumi and Kaoru for her sister's difficult ways and entreated Hanabi to take care of the spring rolls. She had stayed behind so she and Sasuke could go together as they had agreed - which consisted of her hesitantly asking it, and him grunting in response.

Sasuke was due to arrive any moment now. She fingered the dark blue kimono with white lining her family had sent for him to wear. It had the Uchiha clan symbol at the back. She hoped he wasn't the picky or overanalytical type with clothes - he might think the white lining meant that the Hyuuga were claiming him. The time was already twenty past six and she would hate, _hate_ to be late. It would be a fifteen-minute walk to the Hyuuga compound in her slippers, which left Sasuke with only twenty-five minutes to get ready.

After a few minutes of hand-wringing, the door slid open to reveal Sasuke, and relief instantly washed over her. Then the nervousness came back full force when she saw him covered in dirt. _What should I say? Should I hurry him up? _"What happened?"

"Training," he replied shortly, shucking off his sandals. When he straightened up and looked at her, he froze.

_Why is he staring?_ She thought desperately. _Sasuke, hurry up! We're going to be late and you're just standing there. Is this some kind of trick? _Her toes curled from restraining herself from crying out in frustration, and so contented herself with fidgeting. "Sasuke, we're-we're..." She trailed off when he shook his head and started to move.

It looked he was heading straight for her. Fearing that he might dirty her mother's kimono, she backed away a step and held up his own in front of her. "Here's your kimono," she said hastily. "Shower?"

"Right." He replied in a clipped tone. He took the kimono from her and went to his own wing of the compound.

While Sasuke was cleaning himself up, Hinata paced the length of the kitchen to kill time. She hoped he wouldn't be snippy when he got out of the shower - she was already nervous as it is. It was nearing forty past six. She counted her steps. She had gotten up to three hundred eighty-six when Sasuke reappeared, freshly bathed and dressed. He looked very clean and neat, and Hinata smiled in approval.

They opened the door and went out into the night. It was relatively quiet since they were in the more secluded area of Konoha's residential section. She could dimly hear the noise and laughter from the main street.

They walked slowly along the road, Hinata holding on to the sides of her kimono to protect it from the mud. It had rained relentlessly the day before. Today was a sunny day again, but it had failed to dry the mud completely. Hinata was struggling to keep her balance since she had never tried to walk in elevated slippers for long distances. It was slow going indeed.

"Aah!" She bit back a small scream when she lost her balance and tottered forward, and Sasuke grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. "Thank you," she said breathlessly, and her attention turned to his hand on her arm. _My sleeve!_

He noticed her gaze. "Leave it alone," he said, sounding irritated.

"I know, but..." She gently extricated herself, smoothed out the sleeve, and offered her arm again.

He rolled his eyes and made a show of wrapping his fingers carefully around her upper arm. They continued walking, and eventually reached the Hyuuga compound without any further mishap. She involuntarily stopped at the gates.

"This is it," she sighed to herself. "The lions' den."

"I thought you Hyuuga were birds," he said.

"The birdcage, then," she said, and she knew it was true. After moving out four years ago, she had never set foot again in the compound until the day she signed the marriage contract. Her father had received the news without any emotion, and had only asked her if she was marrying to spite the council. That had been an unpleasant episode, one she was eager to forget. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Let's go in."


	8. Spring rolls

A/N: Hi guys! I've been browsing SasuHina fics since I'm still on vacation, and there are many of them that contain plotlines where Sasuke pressures Hinata for sex or Sasuke forces Hinata to have sex with him and then they fall in love. We might think it's sweet, but isn't that already sexual harrassment? I'd love to know what you think!

Again, thank you for the reviews, **Little lily **(The previous chapter was short because this one will be long!)**, 00-night-eyes-00, tactics 2012 **(Thank you! They _are _cute, aren't they?)**, CallMeSenseiKuchiki, Robotchick1, oxogreenappleoxo, Rosebunse **(I didn't know that! Thank you!)**, wolf-enzeru, heyitsmehahaha, xXYour DoomXx, Fher34 **(Crap, thank you for pointing it out!)**,** and **DageRee**(I've already written a good bit already, that's why I'm updating a lot. The posted story is catching up to my file, though!)**.**

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>Sasuke didn't bother to hide the boredom on his face. It was less of a party than a meeting and a tea ceremony combined. He, Hinata, and Hiashi were seated at a dais at the head of the room. Dinner was still underway, but he had already finished his. the dishes were good - excellent, even - but in this stifling and rarefied atmosphere, he found he had lost his appetite. He had his chin cupped on his hand as he stared at a far wall, long finished with scrutinizing everyone in the room. Even Hanabi making faces at him had outworn its charm.<p>

There was a discreet tug on his sleeve, and he turned to look at Hinata. She looked so impossibly lovely in her white kimono with purple birds that he felt his chest tighten every time he looked at her. This was why he avoided talking to her even though he was unspeakably bored at this farce of a party.

He looked sideways at her. "What?" He asked, his tone more rough than he had intended. She didn't seem to notice, though. Or if she did, she didn't take offense.

"I made the spring rolls," she whispered, worried. "But-but... Nobody's eating them..." She looked glum.

He raised an eyebrow. It was exactly the kind of thing Hinata would worry about. "Nobody's eating much of anything," he pointed out. It was true: no one ate more than what was in front of their plate, there was no sake, and the volume level hardly rose above a respectful murmur. _What kind of party doesn't have sake?_ He grumbled inwardly.

"I know, but..." She repeated her words from earlier that night but with a different inflection this time. Through his peripheral vision, he could see her hands twisting in her lap, a gesture he was fast becoming used to.

He sighed to himself and raised his hand. A servant hurried over, and Sasuke ordered an extra plate of spring rolls for everyone in the room. _This isn't really a party where everyone's comfortable eating, _he wanted to tell her.

Her hands flew to her mouth. "S-Sasuke, y-you didn't-"

"I already did," he affirmed. Since the Hyuuga were so polite, they would eat the extra plate given them without complaint. "Let's do this," he said, as two plates were set down before them. Hinata's rolls were good, but he wasn't hungry. Still, he dutifully finished them just so Hinata would stop worrying. _She's worrying already anyway. _

He scanned the room again. Everyone was tucking into the second plate of spring rolls, including Hanabi, who looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. He could hardly believe that such a loud brat could afford to behave so primly and demurely. In spite of himself, he was impressed with the Hyuuga training.

After dinner, Hiashi stood up from Hinata's other side. An automatic hush fell over the room, and everyone sitting below them composed themselves and looked at the current clan head. Sasuke rolled his eyes to himself, folded his arms inside the sleeves of his kimono, and settled down to tune out the speech. He chanced a glance at Hinata. She was so beautiful tonight. No wonder he had tried to kiss her earlier that evening. If that was what greeted him home after every training, he would gladly start on making little Uchiha babies.

Other people would probably say that he would be justified in making advances to her, or just taking her outright, since they were already married anyway. Nonconsensual sex hardly did anyone favors, though, to say the least. If he forced himself on Hinata, he was certain his mother would haunt him. If Hinata somehow found the gumption to actually sleep with him, it would be like a one-night stand with a never-ending morning after walk of shame.

Plus, they were also just starting to adjust to one another. He can still count on one hand the number of times they had talked at home. So in a way, he was relieved that she had held up his kimono, like a shield. If things became uncomfortable between them, he knew he would get no peace from his thoughts. Hinata would avoid him again, and he would slightly - slightly - miss her presence. One of the reasons he had chosen Hinata among the other girls was because he knew she would disturb him the least. Truth be told, when he made his choice, he hadn't counted on actually going so far as to almost enjoying the times when they were both at home.

What had possessed him earlier, anyway? He felt like an idiot. Thankfully, the walk to the Hyuuga compound hadn't been awkward.

"Clap," a voice whispered in his ear, and his hands moved of their own accord, clapping politely along with the rest of the Hyuuga clan members.

Presently, a line formed in front of their table and Hyuuga clan members came up to their table one by one to offer birthday wishes to Hiashi and marriage wishes for them. Sasuke let Hinata do the talking and instead stared at his hands.

He wondered how Hinata could listen to the same drivel over and over again, with a smile no less, especially when he knew the wishes were made out of politeness rather than sincerity. _Probably the Hyuuga training._ The majority of the crowd had already dispersed, and now only Neji, Hanabi, and some old people remained. Members of the council, he assumed.

Neji expressed a brief birthday wish to Hiashi, and turned to them. "You don't deserve Hinata-sama," he said in a low voice.

He heard a sharp intake of breath and Hinata saying, "Please, nii-san-"

"Are you done?" Sasuke asked. He looked straight at Hyuuga Neji's eyes then deliberately turned his attention to his nails.

"One hair on her head, Uchiha," he said menacingly.

Sasuke buffed his nails.

"Come, Neji-nii. You haven't wished for my happiness yet," Hinata coaxed with a smile.

Inside, he was indignant. _How come she doesn't stutter with her cousin? _He was reflecting on the unfairness of having a wife who was nervous of him when Hinata pulled on his sleeve again. Standing in front of them was Hanabi in a brown and orange kimono, her hair arranged in a bun like Hinata's. This ought to be good, he thought, anticipating her performance with a smirk.

"Onee-san and Sasuke-san," she murmured, her bow a perfect right angle. "Allow me to offer my congratulations on your marriage and my heartfelt appreciation of your cooking."

"That is very kind of you. My heart warms with gratitude," Hinata said quietly, equally formal.

"Sasuke-san, I am grateful to you for granting us a second helping of spring rolls," Hanabi turned to him. "In the event of my death, let it be known that the cause was the distension of my stomach."

Recognizing their game, Sasuke dropped his voice in the formal tone. "Should that event arise, I would certainly declare the pleasure as mine, Hanabi-san." He and Hinata bowed to Hanabi, the two sisters concealing their smiles.

Whatever amusement the small exchange gave him suddenly vanished as the members of the council converged upon them. They wished Hiashi a happy birthday and turned to both of them.

"Although this marriage is not approved by the council, allow us to congratulate you, Hinata-sama," one oily-looking old man said, who shared the same air of disapproval Neji and Hanabi invariably wore.

"Indeed," an old woman interjected. "How this clan can become greater with an Uchiha alliance - an orphaned one at that - I cannot imagine. However, I will have to trust that Hinata-sama knows what she is doing."

Snakes in the grass. The image rose in Sasuke's mind, of snakes hiding in the grass and darting up to catch the birds with their fangs. _Not all Hyuuga are birds._ He let the orphan jab slide.

"Thank you for your concern," Hinata said stiffly.

"Hinata-sama, you have been out of the compound for four years now," another old man said. "Have you been apprised of the issues our clan has dealt with?"

"There may be no need, perhaps domesticity would suit her better," the first old man commented with a nasty smile.

Just then, two things happened simultaneously: Sasuke and Hinata both stood up so fast that the teacups rattled, and Hanabi burst into the room.

"I will let your unenlightened remarks pass this time, Homura-san," said Hinata, retaining her poise.

"Insult my wife again, and I will kill you," snarled Sasuke. He was so angry that his senses sharpened and focused on this small old man, itching to hurt him.

"That was entirely uncalled for!" Hanabi exclaimed, and stamped her foot.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood up, slowly. He nodded to Neji, who hovered in the doorway. "Take Hanabi away, Neji," he ordered.

"Co-control your daughters, Hiashi-sama!" the old woman said, shocked. It was clear that the council members were not expecting an outburst from any of them.

Hiashi considered the old woman who spoke. "I do not have to control my daughters, Hikaru-san," he said in an icy tone. "As members of the Main House, they are free to act as they please. Elders, you are dismissed." The council members filed away silently, sullen. When the last one had shut the door, he turned to Sasuke. "If you harm any of my council members, I will be the one to kill you, Uchiha." He said the words slowly and clearly.

Sasuke scowled at him. "Then control your council members, Hyuuga-san. As far as I am concerned, insulting an Uchiha is unacceptable."

"I will do no such thing. You are dismissed, both of you," he said curtly.

"I dismiss myself," Sasuke retorted haughtily. He marched out through the main hall to the gates. In a few moments, Hinata followed, coming towards him on unsteady feet. He didn't know whether it was because of her poor balance or because of the scene just minutes ago.

Was she angry for talking back to his father? If she was, he wasn't going to mince words on what he thought about Hyuuga Hiashi.

She said nothing when she drew up to him. _I don't care if she's upset or whatever,_ he thought. Remembering her earlier struggle with walking, which was a basic human activity, he offered his arm without looking at her. He felt her slender fingers curl around it gently. "Let's go home," she sighed. Side by side, they walked together in the cool night air.


	9. Sake

A/N: Wow, I'm really glad lots of you responded to my question last chapter! Thank you for sharing your views with me. My responses will be below so as not to make this part overly long.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>As soon as they arrived home, Hinata took off her slippers - level ground at last! - and sank gratefully on the sofa. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She kept thinking about that incident with old Homura. She knew, <em>knew<em> she shouldn't have made any rash action, but she was bolstered by the fact that Sasuke stood up at the same time she did. It was also only sinking in now that Hanabi had come into the room after Homura made his infamous remark. The next time they meet, Hanabi would doubtless have scathing remarks ready.

"Go sleep." She opened her eyes to see Sasuke standing before her, arms folded.

"Thank you for defending me," she said, and she suddenly felt a rush of affection for him. He had barely said anything the whole night, but she was touched that he had spoken when it counted. It surprised her that he had cared enough and was courageous enough to threaten a Hyuuga council member. She was also a little envious that he was... _Uchiha_ enough to be able to do that. _But I __am__ an Uchiha - Sasuke even said so. _Her cheeks flamed upon remembering his words. Truth be told, she still thought of herself as a Hyuuga. _Maybe I need to be more of an Uchiha, _she thought.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and she was forcibly reminded of Neji when Hanabi exasperated him. The gesture made her smile. "I didn't do it for you," he said as he moved past her. There was no heat nor chill in his tone, and she knew he didn't mean to offend. She also he knew he did it for his clan, and she could respect that.

_Fair enough. _She sank her head back and stared at the wooden beams criscrossing the ceiling and listened to Sasuke banging cupboard doors. Oddly enough, she felt peaceful after the scene at the compound - happy, even. Her father's response to old lady Hikaru - toadface, as Hanabi called her - could be construed as defending her, couldn't it? Whether that was the case or not, the fact that her father spoke at all was enough for her.

A thump and a clink on the table. Sasuke set down a bottle of sake and two cups.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Sasuke," she said softly. She watched as he poured the liquid into his cup and pushed the bottle towards her. "Our parties are normally like that, I'm sad to say."

"The fuck it is," he muttered. "There wasn't even sake." He drained his cup in one swallow.

Hinata started unpinning her hair. It had been up for way too long, and her head was beginning to ache. She smiled at the idea of Hyuuga clan members acting like Kiba when drunk. _That would be a real party. _

"What's so funny?" He asked, taking another healthy swig. "Drink," he commanded, seeing hers empty.

She obediently filled her cup. She drank it in one and made a face. Hinata had never gotten used to the taste of plain sake. When they had all turned eighteen, Kiba usually persuaded her and Shino to drink after every mission. After the third or fourth time, though, Hinata had learned how to say no. She liked the burning trail it left on the way to her stomach, but she could never abide the bitterness. She refilled and drank again.

"So what's so funny?" Sasuke returned to his question, resting his feet on the table.

_Ugh, he really does like doing that,_ she thought, resigned. However, it wasn't the kitchen table so she didn't mind half as much.

"I just remembered Kiba-kun, after a mission -"

"So you're thinking of another man while you're with me?" He interrupted.

She felt herself blush so hard it made the tips of her ears tingle. Was this one of his tricks again? Was he serious? His gaze was steady on her, and she found she couldn't quite meet it. _Don't make jokes like that,_ she thought desperately. _We were having such a pleasant time! _"I-It's-it's n-not like th-that-"

"Relax." He rolled his eyes and gulped down another cup. "Can you stop stuttering around me?" He asked, annoyed.

Hinata blushed even harder, something that only was possible for her. In response, she downed three cups of sake in quick succession and leaned back to wait for the effects. In the meantime, Sasuke returned to the kitchen for another bottle. Sasuke frustrated her, because she knew he loved making her uncomfortable. If she wasn't careful, he would make it a pastime. She didn't relish the thought.

When he came back with another bottle, the sake had taken effect. She was feeling pleasantly woozy and loose-limbed, and she couldn't keep herself from smiling if she tried. She rested her arms along the back of the sofa, putting her feet up on the table. Hinata hadn't felt relaxed in days.

"If you don't want me to stutter, then don't talk to me like that," she announced with a smile. She was dimly aghast at herself, but a larger part felt too triumphant to care.

"Talk like what," he inquired in a flat tone as he refilled their cups. The sake had no marked effect on his behavior, save for rendering his cheeks slightly pink.

"Like we're husband and wife," she said in a tone implying that it should have been obvious.

He fixed her with a stare, his brows furrowed. "But we already are," he adopted her tone. "Drink. You don't want your husband to drink alone, do you?"

Hinata pointed at him with the hand that held the cup. The liquid sloshed dangerously. "There! See. Like that." She drained the cup and banged it on the table. She covered her mouth as she yawned. "It's not like, like, you _proposed_ to me or anything." She yawned again.

"Does it matter?" In her inebriated state, Hinata could no longer judge what emotions lay behind Sasuke's words. _Does it matter? _She asked herself his question. _I'm so sleepy. _She smiled, stretching her limbs.

"It matters for me," she replied, still smiling widely.

"Cheers," he muttered, but didn't hold up his cup.

She really was so sleepy. However, her vision spun dizzily when she tried to lay down so she slowly resumed her sitting position so as not to cause any sudden movements. She laid her head back, and she felt marginally better. Her heart was beating fast; being dizzy scared he senses. _I shouldn't have drunk that last cup,_ she thought with regret. She closed her eyes. Hinata couldn't be sure whether or not Sasuke was talking, or if she was.

"I'm just going to rest," she said, but she also wasn't sure if she had said out loud or it was only in her head. It didn't matter. Sasuke could drink by himself; she really couldn't anymore.

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><p>Hello and thank you for taking the time to respond to my observation! Many of you have given insightful comments which deserve to be discussed.<p>

**wolf-enzeru: **Yes, exactly. It doesn't matter how hot the boy is.

**Guest: **I hope you get to read my response! I agree with you, plotlines that involve sexual abuse which ends in "happily ever after" _are_ atrocious. I'm glad you try to reason with the writers of those kinds of fics, which is way more than what I can say for myself! However, I'll follow your example. Also, God knows how much I enjoyed forcing-sex-then-falling-in-love plotlines when I was younger too! Yikes. I hope the readers who are similar to the younger version of myself will recognize how wrong these situations are, especially in real life.

Thank you! I avoid those plotlines, but if ever I get caught up in the details and the story starts turning out as an endorsement of sexual abuse, please message me.

**Guest #2: **I see your point. There has to be a way, though, to make people understand that 'highly assertive' or 'takes initiative' doesn't have to equal to caveman. And Hinata shouldn't be passive! The reason why I love her character so much is because she's worked hard to make herself stronger, physically and emotionally, and I want people to value that.

**Fher34: **I'm glad you agree! And thank you!

**Robotchick1: **Your suggestion came at an opportune time! I do believe I'll incorporate that in later chapters. I agree that Hinata won't take being abused lying down, but there are some fics, in-universe or AU, that depict her as being helpless.**  
><strong>

**Rosebunse: **Sadly, yes. But that shouldn't be so!

**Doddlehead: **You have a point. But still, sexual abuse is so wrong. I hope the canon comes up with a way to get Sasuke and Hinata together!

Thanks a lot for the reviews, **xXYour DoomXx, oxogreenappleoxo** (Thanks so much for spotting the typo! :D And for recommending my story, yay!)**, evil-x-love, 00-night-eyes-00, alee26606 **(Glad you enjoyed!)**, LaydiiV **(Thank you! :D)**,** and **bekota**!


	10. Cake

A/N: To **wolf-enzeru, Eerie Ava, DageRee **(You can look at the rated M fics, that's where I found most of the stuff I was talking about (: )**, farahb, BekotaTheMonsterHuntress, Fher34, xXYour DoomXx, Rosebunse **(I guess we can only hope that they are better than that!)**, roti bakar, 00-night-eyes-00, **and **meong-chan **(Oh god, I don't want to know what happens between them! Is it a great moment? No wait, I don't think I want to know D:)**.**

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

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><p>The morning sunlight streamed from the high windows directly onto Hinata's face. With a groan she stood up, shading her eyes. The sudden action made her heart pound and she stumbled to the opposite sofa where Sasuke was sitting the night before; it was empty now.<p>

She sat down carefully, keeping her face in the shade, and waited for the pounding to subside in her chest and in her head. Once it had, she slowly opened her eyes. Judging by the angle and intensity of the sunlight, it was already nine or thereabouts. Hinata rarely ever deviated from waking up at five, but the circumstances last night were far from her routine.

A shower was badly in order. She felt sticky and sweaty, but she couldn't find it in her to get up. From the way the sharp pain came and went in her stomach, she was also hungry. She felt dirty, disheveled, and hungry, but she was also still dizzy, and any sudden movements would send last night's spring rolls back out.

_Sasuke's probably gone out to train. I should get up too, _she thought, but stayed seated. She cried out in dismay as she realized she wasn't able to cook breakfast for him. _You have one job, Hinata! _She groaned to herself. She would have to apologize later.

Yelling. Loud voices. If only she wasn't so dizzy, she would check to see who was outside. _Please stop_, she thought, closing her eyes as the pounding in her head started again. Hinata didn't have to wait very long for an answer.

The salty smell of ramen assailed her and she slowly opened her eyes to see Sasuke holding a bowl of ramen under her nose. Behind him were Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Naruto. She accepted the bowl gratefully, but she felt too lethargic to actually pick up the chopsticks and begin the tedious process of eating, or to wonder why they were all in Sasuke's living room.

"Teme, what did you do to Hinata-chan?!" Naruto yelled.

"Eat," said Sasuke to her and turned to Naruto. "Shut up, dobe."

"Hinata-chan drank with you?" Kiba sounded repulsed, his voice no less lower.

Beside her, the sofa gently sank down with a warm weight. She felt something furry by her elbow, and she knew it was Akamaru sitting beside her. She rested her hand by his neck and felt like falling asleep again while the men argued. By the time she would wake up, hopefully they would be finished.

"Your creature is on my fucking couch, Inuzuka. Call it off."

"Hey, don't call Akamaru a creature!"

"Here, Hinata-chan, I'll help you eat!"

"Don't you _dare_ go near her, dobe."

Akamaru nudged the bowl gently. With a sigh of acquiescence, Hinata ate the ramen. The broth was still hot, and filled her stomach in all the best ways. Presently she felt her mind become clearer and the dizziness slowly evaporate. She set down the bowl and proceeded to cuddle Akamaru. He licked her hand and she laughed, lying down on the giant dog's side. She watched as Kiba and Naruto yelled at Sasuke while he studied his nails, seeming not to hear. Shino had been the quietest of them, looking at her. She smiled at him and patted the space next to her.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked after easing himself beside her.

"Much better. I felt like such a mess earlier," she replied quietly so as not to disturb the arguing. By now, Kiba and Naruto's voices had become ambient noise. She straightened up to converse better with Shino, and Akamaru rested his head on Hinata's lap.

"I heard you drank sake with Sasuke."

"Yes, I kept him company. He was... surprised that there weren't any at the party." She was in the middle of recounting the scene with the spring rolls when they were interrupted by Sasuke thrusting a small box at her.

She held it, looking at him quizzically. He offered no explanation but turned quickly to Kiba and Naruto, grabbing the scruff of their necks and dragging them toward the door.

"Hey!" They said at the same time, struggling out of his grasp, but he kept his hold.

"Get the hell out of my house," he said through gritted teeth. He shoved the door open with his foot and threw them out on the front yard. Their protests were cut off when Sasuke shut the door. He turned his attention to the three of them sitting quietly on the sofa - Hinata, Shino, and Akamaru. He stared them down.

"I'll see you," said Shino, who got the hint, and stood up.

Akamaru, for his part, buried his head on Hinata's lap and whined.

Hinata laughed and kissed his head. "Akamaru-chan, I'll play with you next time, okay?" She ruffled his head and he licked her face. "Thank you for cleaning me." She gave his rump a slight push and he bounded off the couch, following Shino out the door.

"Oi Inuzuka, don't forget to come back and clean my damn couch," she heard Sasuke say, and slammed the door.

Hinata sighed. As much as she loved Kiba and Shino, and also Naruto, she was instantly relieved they were gone. She craved the peace and quiet. Sasuke came back and stood over her, arms folded.

"There's cake in the box," he said.

"Really?" She opened it to reveal a slice of chocolate. Her eyes widened in pleasure. "Oh wow," she breathed, awed. "Thank you very much, Sasuke!" She gave a guilty start. "Oh, and I'm sorry."

"What now?" He asked, sounding annoyed.

"Well I... I wasn't able to cook your, um, breakfast..." She wanted to twist her hands, an old childhood standby, but the box was in the way. "That was s-supposed to be my job... I, I messed up." She bowed her head.

Sasuke let out an incredulous snort. "Says who?"

"B-but... Isn't that-isn't that what the... uh, whatthewifedoes?" She purposely said the last sentence quickly so as not to linger on the word 'wife'. Try as she might, it was still difficult to accept that she was a wife, when she hadn't even experienced being a bride, or a girlfriend, for that matter. Heck, her marriage was over in five minutes! "Anyway," she continued with her apology, trying to get away from 'wife' as fast as possible before Sasuke followed up on the theme and made her uncomfortable again, "I also apologize that you had to, um, take care - I mean, I'm sorry you had to b-buy food for me. It-it wasn't-"

"Don't be such a martyr," he snapped, and stomped to his own wing of the compound, leaving behind a very bewildered Hinata.

_What did I do?_

She tried to review what just happened. Sasuke gave her cake, she thanked him for it and apologized for not being able to cook him food and he got angry and called her a martyr. Was it so wrong to apologize? She had gotten drunk the previous night, and through her actions, wasn't able to fulfill the only duty she was willing and able to do, which was cook him food.

How was that being a martyr?

_Well, I guess I have my peace and quiet now,_ she thought, glum. _This wasn't how I wanted it, though._


	11. Vegetable stew

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine.

A/N: Hello all! Internet is spotty at the moment so I'm taking advantage of the good connection to post now. I'll respond to reviews in the next chapter. Thank you very much for sticking with the story!

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><p>Hinata, Kiba, and Shino regrouped in a sheltered clearing forty miles outside Konoha.<p>

"South and west sides are clear," Hinata reported.

"North side clear," Kiba said.

"East side is clear as well," Shino said.

"Great, now we can eat!" Kiba rubbed his hands, and Akamaru echoed his sentiments by giving a short bark.

They were on the way home to Konoha after completing an A-class mission to track twelve outlaws who escaped from the Sand and were now on Leaf territory. As soon as they had tracked the criminals, the ANBU members they had been traveling with took over the mission - that is to say, eliminated the missing nin.

Hinata had been away from the Uchiha compound for a week now. The day before she was scheduled to depart, she had waited for Sasuke to come down for breakfast so she could tell him. His only response was a grunt, and they ate breakfast in silence - a nervous one on Hinata's part. That was their first encounter after their dust-up the day she had her hangover. She had quietly fidgeted during the entire meal, not knowing what to say to Sasuke. She was loath to leave without clearing the air, but she was too anxious to confront him. In the end, she had left before he did, muttering about training.

The next morning when she woke up, though, Sasuke was sleeping again on the kitchen table, like he did the first time he wanted to get ahold of her. He had been woken up, again, by her startled gasp.

"Here," he had said, handing her a small white cake box. Yawning, he went back to his wing without further comment, leaving her bewildered yet again. This time, though, when she ate the chocolate cake, her spirits were considerably lightened. As she blissfully chewed her cake, the thought flashed through her mind that Sasuke had a delicious way of making up with her indeed.

"Here you go, Hinata-chan," Kiba's voice recalled her to the present. With the help of her pocket flint, she was able start a fire and get water to boil. Shino handed her vegetables from the forest which she added to the water, along with a pinch of salt and oyster sauce.

"Ne, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun," Hinata said. "What kind of mask would they give me if I were to make ANBU?"

Kiba considered for a moment. "Maybe a mouse. Something cute."

She wrinkled her brow in thought. "Are mice cute?"

"Are you thinking of joining, Hinata-chan?" Shino asked. "The application period is five months away."

"Now that you mention it..." Hinata trailed off. _Five months of training. I know I can make it_. "How amazing would it be to become ANBU?"

Shino quirked an eyebrow. "It would also be dangerous."

"Chouji says you have to take a written exam and a practical exam," Kiba interposed. "Hey, did you guys know he's now teaching at the Academy?"

Hinata paused in her stirring. "Really? That's nice." She tried to recall what she remembered about Akimichi Chouji. She knew he was never without a bag of chips in his hand outside missions, that was all. If he had become a teacher like Iruka-sensei, then apparently there was a lot she didn't know about him.

"Somehow, it doesn't fit," Shino said musingly.

"You don't even know him that much," Kiba retorted.

"That's true," Shino agreed. "I hope he has the patience to deal with the Kiba types."

"What do you mean by that?" Kiba jabbed a finger at his teammate. "I was a model student at the Academy!"

Shino's snort indicated he believed otherwise.

"Hey, it's true! Back me up here, Hinata-chan."

Hinata laughed. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, I don't seem to remember anything of the kind."

Kiba argued with them all throughout dinner until lights out, when Shino finally shushed him, and they all slept side by side, Hinata sandwiched in the middle. She fell asleep to the low hum of insects, her head against Shino's chest, and Kiba's hand on her waist.

They rose at dawn and swiftly packed away their gear. In no time at all, they were journeying towards the village. They reached Konoha past noon, foregoing their lunch in favor of taking a long bath as soon as possible.

At the village gates, Shino suddenly stopped. They also halted, confused.

"Hey man, what's the holdup?" Kiba complained. "I want my bath already!"

Shino turned to them. "Before we go in, I have to tell you something."

Hinata's hands flew to her chest on instinct. There was a sense of foreboding in her.

"I'm married to Ino."

"WHAT!" Kiba and Hinata shouted at the same time. Shino started to jump away, but they held each arm and yanked him back.

"Shino-kun!" Hinata cried out as Shino briefly struggled, and stilled.

Kiba took the lead in pinning his teammate against a nearby tree. Shino shrugged him away.

"Shino-kun, when did this happen?" Hinata asked, twisting her hands. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"We didn't even get to throw you a bachelor party!" Kiba yelled.

"Hokage-sama called me into her office, and Ino was already there," Shino began.

Hinata started. It sounded painfully familiar.

"Lady Tsunade asked me for help in repopulating the village, and I agreed. The end." Shino shrugged.

"What?!" Kiba yelled again. "You believe in that crap? After what happened to Hinata-chan?"

Shino crossed his arms. "As it happens, I do believe it is our duty."

"But... Shino-kun..." Hinata was at a loss for words. How could Shino be so calm and sure about this? It was true that she believed that repopulating the village was a shinobi's duty, but it didn't have to be _her_ duty. And she wanted it to be her choice. Every day she was tortured by the fact that by agreeing to the Hokage, she had effectively made it hers. Even though she felt like she had been railroaded into marrying Sasuke, in the end, she was still the one who said yes, the one who cut her thumb. Every time she blamed herself for being weak and saying no, she trained harder and longer to the point where she would be barely conscious while making dinner. This was especially true during her first week being married to Sasuke. "Do you... Was it your... Do you-do you love Ino-san?"

Shino shrugged again. "Does it matter?"

"That's stupid!" Kiba said hotly. "You just went and got married and then I suppose you'll have kids like Hinata and now everything has to change!"

"It would," said Shino, unflappable.

"Not yet," Hinata said hastily at the same time.

"You'll have to deal with it, Kiba," said Shino in a gentler tone. "It will be your turn soon."

"I say nuts to that. I'd rather join the ANBU," Kiba spat out, and marched on to the village.

Hinata looked helplessly at Shino, who only sighed. They followed Kiba to the long walk towards the Hokage's tower.

"You're making me feel guilty about my feelings, Shino-kun," Hinata spoke softly. Really, how can Shino be stoic about it all? He was stoic most of the time, but this... This was a major development in his life. If they both believed that it was their duty to provide the next generation of shinobi, why was her reaction different? How come was Shino so accepting, and she wasn't?

"Don't," he said, looking straight ahead.

"It's just... I guess I envy your certainty, that's all," she looked up at her teammate. Even though his eyes were hidden by dark glasses and his mouth by his high collar, Hinata could tell by his posture that he was far from happy. She could feel the tenseness emanating from him.

"Marriage does limit your options somewhat," he replied carefully. "To tell you the truth -"

"Oi!" Kiba said loudly, putting himself in between. "Don't think you can confess without me, bug boy." When he had wedged himself squarely between them, he gestured to Shino and put his arms around their shoulders.

"As I was saying," the Aburame heir continued, "to tell the truth, I'm a little nervous going back home."

"Well, don't do what Hinata-chan did and disappear for a week," Kiba laughed, poking her in the ribs.

"Oh shush, Kiba-kun," Hinata said reprovingly. Kiba had found it funny, but she felt that treating it lightheartedly felt like a betrayal to Sasuke. She let Kiba have his jokes, but she didn't retain any sense of humor about the whole thing.

"Come on Hinata-chan, if Kurenai-sensei hadn't talked some sense into you, you'd avoid him forever or until he tracks you down," Shino added.

She turned red. "I'm not the subject here," she said with dignity. "Why does going back home make you nervous, Shino-kun?"

Through their connected bodies, she could feel him shrug. "I don't know Ino very well, that's all."

Hinata sighed. "I know exactly what you mean."


End file.
